A regional conference taking place in Jordan in August looked at preventing corruption and strengthening anti-corruption institutions in the Arab region. Arwa Hassan, a Senior Programme Coordinator at TI, participated and spoke on the relationship between civil society and anti-corruption agencies. The conference took place under the 'Good Governance for Development Initiative' and was supported by UNODC, OECD and UNDP. The meeting had a focus on the UN Convention against Corruption and the newly formed Arab Anti-corruption Network. This body, established at a meeting at the Dead Sea in January, has two levels. On the governmental level, it aims to link Anti-corruption Agencies and government committees working on the anti corruption issue. On the civil society levels, a network of activists has been created being led by the TI chapters in the Arab world. At the conference the four main governmental anti-corruption agencies in the Arab region, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Yemen were given a platform to present their work. A Governmental Anti-Corruption network will be launched and details of it published as an outcome of the conference.

TI Kenya has issued its latest monthly newsletter Adili on the topic of “Constitutional Amendment and Governance”. The issue is exploring the post election crisis as a result of collapsed governance structures and poses the question of whether corruption and impunity in Kenya can be contained through constitutional order. The previous edition of the Adili looked at the question of “Asset Recovery in Kenya: Outstanding Issues”. Both issues, as well as all previous editions of the newsletter are available here.

In August, the TI chapter in the Palestinian Authorities, Aman, organised the workshop “Financial and Administrative Management Reform in Security Institutions” in Ramallah. The workshop was part of the programme for enhancing transparency and accountability in the public sector and was attended by a number of official representatives from the security institutions, the Public Oversight Bureau, and a number of relevant agencies. Participants unanimously emphasized the importance of the adoption of bylaws to regulate financial and administrative functions of security apparatuses. In addition, budget implementation should be subject to due legal oversight compliance, and unifying the legal reference for the military establishment. A draft study presented during the workshop offered a set of recommendations on how to address these issues. A detailed report of the workshop can be found here.

The National Accountability Group (NAG), the TI chapter in Sierra Leone, held a two-day seminar from 14 August. The purpose of the meeting was to sensitise the public to the African Pear Review Mechanism process. The seminar attracted thirty-five participants, representing councils, District Budget oversight committees, civil society groups, learning institutions and religious groups in the southern province.

Welcoming the power-sharing deal reached by the three political formations under the mediation of President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa in Zimbabwe, TI Zimbabwe now calls upon the political leadership to implement the 11 September Power Sharing Agreement and for all stakeholders to step up the campaign for ‘zero tolerance on corruption’. Corruption, greed and self-aggrandisement must be eradicated from public institutions to ensure a transition to a more democratic and prosperous nation. Any transitional process or mechanism that fails to uphold the values of transparency, accountability and integrity is bound to fail from the start. TI Zimbabwe also joins the Human Rights NGO Forum, NANGO and other civil society organisations in calling for transitional justice as a critical step towards national healing and restoring democracy and good governance in Zimbabwe.

The TI chapter in Argentina, Poder Ciudadano, has reported the findings of the monitoring exercise it undertook during the country’s 2007 presidential election campaign, won by Cristina Kirchner of the ruling party Frente para la Victoria. Monitoring focused on party financing and on the activities of candidates, allowing information to be obtained regarding funding sources and beneficiaries.

Among the report’s conclusions, it is noted that there exists a gap between the activities declared by parties, and the activities actually conducted. The report claims that the parties with the most resources both obscured and underestimated both revenue and expenditure, and that preferential treatment was given to certain candidates in the allocation of public funds designated for the campaigns. The report recommends a full judicial investigation to be held.

On 11 August the Chilean President Michelle Bachelet enacted the country’s first Freedom of Information Act. The new legislation enshrines the principle of transparency within public office, and establishes the process by which citizens exercise their right to access information, as well as the exceptions to this right. The new law requires that all bodies comprising the state administration, including public firms, disclose the information requested by citizens within 20 days.

According to Chile Transparente (CT), the TI chapter in Chile that played an important role in advocating for the law, the legislation represents a landmark step that puts Chile among the world’s most institutionally-developed countries with regards to access to information, especially in its provision for a regulatory Council for Transparency. CT will be following closely the implementation of the law closely in order to ensure that the stated goals are achieved.

The TI chapter in Colombia, Transparencia por Colombia, and the Universidad Externado de Colombia have published the findings of their First Survey of Anti-Bribery Measures in Colombian Businesses. The study, in which 537 companies of varying sizes and from different cities participated, analysed bribery-prevention measures and their level of development and implementation. Although the results reveal that there is a long way to go on the issue, Transparencia por Colombia has stressed that the very fact that businesspeople agreed to participate in the study is a already a huge step, given the taboo that has existed in Colombia around bribery. What is more, a large majority of those surveyed recognised the usefulness of the measures recommended as part of the study, based on TI’s Business Principles for Countering Bribery, are useful. This suggests that the business community is becoming increasingly receptive to calls to tackle this problem.

On 11 September, Transparencia por Colombia celebrated its tenth birthday. This special day was marked by an academic event attended by TI’s Chair Huguette Labelle, along with public figures from all spheres of Colombian society. At the event, there was a launch of a commemorative publication, which traces the evolution of the struggle against corruption in the country, the work and achievements of Transparencia por Colombia, and the challenges faced by the Colombian anti-corruption movement today.

Transparencia Mexicana (TM) was invited to oversee the fulfilment of all actions planned as part of the Alliance for Quality in Education (Alianza por la Calidad de la Educación), a programme being carried out jointly by the federal government and representatives from the National Union of Education Workers (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación). TM will monitor the implementation of the programme’s action plan, which is designed to raise standards in the Mexican education system in the following core areas: modernisation of schools and facilities; professionalisation of teachers and educational authorities; pastoral and social care for pupils; curriculum content; and evaluation. It is envisioned that the Alliance will raise awareness of the need to improve educational standards, and possibly pave the way for a more comprehensive reform project.

The TI chapter in Paraguay, Transparencia Paraguay, has published its 2007 Transparency, Integrity and Efficiency Index, (ITIE to use the Spanish acronym). Currently in its fourth edition, the Index evaluated the degree of transparency and accountability of 12 public firms. According to the 2007 ITIE, the state administration continues to fail in its duty to deliver efficiently and transparently-run services to Paraguayan citizens, which correlates with observations made in the 2006 edition.

The TI chapter in Venezuela, Transparencia por Venezuela, has launched a new online platform, through which specialists, students, academics and the general public can access information regarding government progress on implementing the anti-corruption conventions to which Venezuela is signatory, such as the Inter-American and UN Conventions against Corruption (IACAC and UNCAC). The website’s primary and most innovative feature is the “traffic light”, a simple colour-coding system that allows users to easily ascertain what progress has been made and what challenges remain in implementing the latest recommendations called for by the follow-up mechanism of the IACAC (MESICIC).

On 28 September, International Right to Know Day was celebrated in over 60 countries around the world. In Venezuela, mobilisations are being organised, with Proacceso (the civil-society coalition which the TI Venezuelan chapter is member to) spearheading efforts to arrange an Access to Information month in order to unite all those concerned by the weak state of the country’s Freedom of Information legislation. “Don’t let them take you for a ride. Make your right to information count” proclaims Proacceso’s slogan. The initiative seeks to help Venezuelans stand up for their right to information, with a programme of exciting events planned with the aim of stimulating interest and increasing public demand for this important issue.

Activities will take place from 18 September to 18 October in several cities across the country, including, to name but a few: the presentation of a draft law to various government agencies; a commemoration of 200 years of the printing press in Venezuela; campaigns on the radio and in the press; a workshop on investigative journalism; an international seminar on the fight for Freedom of Information, focusing in particular on the current state of legislation and its role in ensuring equal and just societies.

TI Bangladesh published a report investigating corruption in the forestry sector in August. According to the diagnostic study on Forest Conservation and Management, forest officials were engaged in illegal logging worth millions of dollars a year, and bribery was detected in the appointment processes for high-level jobs using an auction system in which the person who paid the biggest bribe received the job. The 16-month investigation into Bangladesh's forest department was conducted by TI Bangladesh.

TI Korea has expressed its disagreement with the Grant Amnesty Day marking the 15 August Independence Day, where Korean President Lee Myung-bak pardoned 100 corporate criminals, as well as about 330 thousand public officials who were under disciplinary punishment. TI Korea raises concerns that this special amnesty undermines the rule of law and will incite more embezzlement, tax evasion and spread unlawful collusion between politics and business. These developments set back anti-corruption policies that have been at work for past eras. TI Korea calls on the president to re-consider his current policies on corruption in the private sector and institute orderly laws for convictions of corruption.

In July TI Korea hosted a workshop to discuss the Youth Integrity Index (YII), a research and advocacy tool which is part of the Youth Integrity Promotion Programme, seeking to foster a culture of integrity and greater civic awareness in younger generations. Representatives of TI and its national chapters from 13 countries across the world attended the workshop to discuss the redesign of the Index, making it a more powerful tools for cross country comparison and advocacy. South Korea, Bangladesh and Mongolia will join the 2008 pilot survey of YII. The result of these studies will be released at the 13th Annual International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) workshop in Athens, Greece: Youth Integrity: Ethical Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future, which will examine the link between corruption and current problems in youth integrity. The Index is just one part of a larger programme, currently under development, which has as its three components the Youth Integrity Index, a Youth Integrity Network, as well as a Youth Integrity Education Programme. Read the workshop report here.

TI Papua New Guinea (PNG) has mobilised civil society to lobby the government for accountability concerning the alleged payment of millions of dollars from the logging industry to ministers in the Government of Prime Minister Michal Somare. While the Ombudsman Commission of PNG is looking into the money trail from Australia to Singapore to Port Moresby, TI PNG is calling for the matter to be put in the hands of the police and anti-money laundering officials. “This is a matter far too large to be dealt with by the Ombudsman Commission and Leadership Tribunal which can only impose a maximum penalty of three years’ suspension.” says TI PNG.
See the full press release here.

In a press statement the TI chapter in Georgia called on the United States, European Union member states, and multilateral and donor agencies to comply with transparency principles outlined in the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. According to TI Georgia, the process of current and future aid negotiations should be opened for public scrutiny and public debate.
In the aftermath of the conflict between Georgia and Russia in August 2008, the US government announced an aid package of US$ 570 million (€ 388 million) to meet Georgia’s humanitarian needs and to support its economic recovery. Also, European leaders have announced that the European Union will provide substantial aid for reconstruction in Georgia.

In July, TI Greece initiated a programme to raise public awareness and unite citizens, politicians and businessmen in an "Open Social Alliance for Integrity and Transparency.” The initiative’s activities include the dissemination of a set of recommendations called "Active Citizen’s Ten Rules against Corruption,” including slogans such as "Corruption Is Not Cool,” "We Have a Right to Know,” "We Observe the Law Anywhere, Anytime and We Demand That Everybody Around Us Does the Same.” Citizens can register their support for the list by going to the chapter’s website, www.transparency.gr . TI Greece also calls on politicians to subscribe to a code of conduct, reduce the scope of current rules that make them exempt from persecution and set transparent rules for the financing of political parties. Private business is urged to engage more with corporate governance, protect whistle-blowers and increase the independence of non-executive board members.

The NGOs “Associazioni Cuore e Parole”, TI-Italy and “Eurotalent” engaged in a common effort to launch the project “SCELGO IO!” ( My Choice!), which will propose a new approach to education, through a simpler and innovative language. The project, a pilot to be implemented in the region Lombardia, has been presented to the target groups (the schools in the province of Milan) and the general public in an event which received wide coverage from newspapers and televisions. Prominent testimonials attended the event, including Dr. Gherardo Colombo, the Magistrate of the “Mani Pulite” (Clean Hands) investigation. Enrico Gatti, important figure in the fight against drugs, Ludovica Manusardi, scientific journalist and a representative from “Legambiente” (the League for Environment).

The "Coalition Macedonia Zero Corruption" including 18 NGOs has been formed on the initiative of the TI chapter in Macedonia, Transparency-Zero Corruption. The Coalition, which formed in September, gathers NGOs engaged in the improvement of the democratic processes in Macedonia. The Coalition’s aim is to strengthen the involvement of civil society in the fight and the prevention against corruption, the development of good governance systems, instigating economic development and foreign investments, boosting capacity for anti-corruption action, cooperating with organisations engaged in similar activities and improving the livelihood of the citizens.

TI Russia published, together with the Phoenix group, a report on how to fight against so-called raiders that pay officials to help seize businesses. Released at the end of August, the reports are based on interviews with more than 100 businessmen and lawyers in Russia, and provides an overview of minimal “market rates” for giving a semblance of legality to criminal raiders. According to the report, copies of a company's real estate documents can be obtained for US $5,000 (€3,400), a company's charter can be altered to replace the CEO or founders for US $10,000 (€6,800), court proceedings delayed for US $10,000 (€6,800), and a court’s criminal investigation to be discontinued for US $50,000 (€34,000). The report also proposes an amendment to the Criminal Code defining "raiding" as a separate statute, as, according to Elena Panfilova, Chair of TI Russia, “criminal investigations of suspected raiders are complicated by the fact that the crime intersects with several various statutes, including extortion and fraud.”

Cobus de Swardt, TI’s Managing Director, took part in the 2nd Annual European Anti-corruption Summit in the Hague. De Swardt participated in a panel discussion on "The business case against corruption: When honesty pays", which was moderated by Michael Jarvis, Private Sector Development Specialist at the World Bank Institute. Other speakers on the panel included Jeremy Bradshaw, BP Compliance Director, Exploration and Production; and Karina Litvak , Head of Governance & Sustainable Investment at F&C Management.

The conference addressed how to develop and manage an integrated and global anti-corruption, ethics and compliance programme, as well as offering practical solutions including the latest tools, technologies and training methods.

To see the full programme and list of speakers go to http://www.ethicalcorp.com/ethicseurope/?t=ti

TI presented its recommendations to the Accra High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness on 2-4 September in Ghana, and warned that corruption would continue to undermine poverty reduction efforts without immediate action on transparency, accountability and citizen participation by aid recipient and donor countries. Among the recommendations and with the fight against corruption being a pre-condition to achieving greater aid effectiveness and reaching the goals of the Paris Declaration, TI advocates for improving access to and the disclosure of public information; cleaning up public procurement and sanctioning violators; strengthening institutions of oversight and engaging civil society; and harmonising donor activity to prevent abuse. More detail on Transparency International’s recommendations to the Accra High-Level Forum is available in a one-page concept note on aid effectiveness and in an online special at TI’s web site: www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008/accra.

TI commissioned the Humanitarian Policy Group of the Overseas Development Institute to look into how crisis-affected populations perceive corruption in the assistance process through case studies in Uganda and Sri Lanka. The reports focus primarily on non-financial corruption, such as political interference in targeting and registration of beneficiaries or diversion of relief resources to non-target groups. The two case studies aim to foster a better understanding of the manifestations, actors and incentives in these subtler forms of corruption in order to identify possible remedies. The case studies are developed as part of the wider project on “Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Assistance,” and complement, in particular, the Final Research Report: Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Assistance. The case studies can be accessed here.

The Spanish version of TI’s Annual Report 2007 has been published and is available here. Besides the translation of the full Annual Report, it includes a special section on Latin America and the Caribbean dedicated to TI’s strategy for the region, “TILAC 2012.”